Girl, 14, shot ‘point blank’ by mom after calling 911
A woman bound the ankles and wrists of her 14-year-old daughter with zip ties — then fatally shot the girl between her eyes at “near point-blank range’’ as the brave youngster was on the phone with 911 pleading for help, police said.
The horrific murder took place Tuesday in the Seattle, Wash., suburb of Renton.
Before the gun was fired, the dispatcher heard someone shout, “You called 911” and something that sounded like “blow your head off,” ABC News reported.
Authorities say the mom, 52-year-old Svetlana B. Laurel, who is separated from her husband, Michael Gulizia, went to his home on Tuesday, according to ABC.
He recently had been awarded custody of the girl, Natalie, and her 12-year-old brother. Laurel was told she could make only supervised visits.
Laurel arrived on her unsupervised visit while her daughter was upstairs and Gulizia and the boy were out, The Seattle Times reported.
Around that time, she called a friend in New York and spoke to him in Russian. The friend said the call was “strange,” noting Laurel told him she had amended her will to include him. The pal, fearing she’d commit suicide, called Renton cops and asked them to check on her. They didn’t get the chance.
When her husband and son arrived home, she allegedly tied up the boy, jammed a sock into his mouth and threatened to use a stun gun on him.
Laurel got the drop on her husband, used her zip ties to restrain him and zapped him with the stun gun, according to the Times.
When she heard the commotion downstairs, the daughter dialed 911 and was shot to death. Laurel then allegedly tried to kill Gulizia with her pistol — but it misfired, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
As Svetlana was struggling to clear the malfunction, Gulizia rammed her into the wall with his shoulder and was able to grab the weapon.
Officers arrived too late to save the daughter.
Laurel, who had no police record, was charged with numerous crimes and could be sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
Both Gulizia and his wife worked at Boeing.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/12/23/girl-14-shot-point-blank-by-mom-after-calling-911/
Two-year-old boy ‘castrated’ after doctors botched operation
A 2-year-old boy who was supposed to undergo a “minimal operation” was “castrated” when doctors accidentally operated on the wrong testicle, his family says.
The boy was treated for an undescended testicle at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children in the United Kingdom. But doctors told the family that they put a camera into “the wrong side” — the healthy gonad — rendering him infertile, BBC News reported on Friday.
“I was very distressed. It was an awful disaster for a simple operation. They destroyed everything and they ruined my son,” his father said. “They castrated him and now my son’s future life has dramatically changed.”
Undescended testicles are uncommon in babies but can be easily corrected with laparoscopic surgery by moving the testicle into the scrotum and stitching it in place, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The problem was detected during a routine checkup, the boy’s father said.
The family was told the operation would take about 30 minutes and had “minimal risk.”
“We were waiting and waiting,” said the dad, who was not named to protect his son’s identity. “After two and a half hours the manager, surgeons and consultants they came and I knew something was not right. Me and my wife started panicking, they called us into the office and told us things didn’t go right and the operation wasn’t a success.”
The boy’s mother said she’s so distraught, she has “no more tears” left to cry.
“They broke my heart and they basically destroyed his future,” she said.
University Hospitals Bristol issued a statement saying it was “deeply sorry” for the botched procedure and has launched an investigation.
“As soon as our staff members realized what had happened, they met with the family, told them what happened, and apologized again at that point,” a hospital spokesperson said. “I would like to reiterate that we take patient safety extremely seriously here and also the quality of our clinical care.”
The UK’s National Health System estimated that one in 25 boys are born with undescended testicles. The universal health care system said surgery to correct the condition was “relatively straightforward” with a good success rate.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/12/21/two-year-old-boy-castrated-after-doctors-botched-operation/
Louisiana Officer Faces 40 Charges After Recording Himself Having Sex With Animal
A police officer in Bossier City, Louisiana, has been arrested after allegedly filming himself having sex with an animal, authorities announced Thursday.
Terry Yetman, 38, was arrested on Dec. 19 and charged with 20 counts of sexual abuse of animals by performing sexual acts with an animal, and 20 counts of filming sexual acts with an animal, according to the Louisiana State Police.
Yetman, a Bossier City Police Officer, was the recipient of the 2018 Trey Hutchison Award, which is presented by the Bossier Domestic Task Force to officers who champion the rights of domestic violence victims and their families, according to KTLA sister station WGNO in New Orleans.
Detectives with the State Police Special Victim’s Unit began an investigation into Yetman’s activities in August, and that investigation resulted in a search warrant for Yetman’s residence.
Detectives found pornography involving sexual acts with an animal on electronic devices belonging to Yetman, according to police.
Authorities did not identify the type of animal involved.
Yetman turned himself in when he learned warrants had been issued for his arrest.
He is currently being held at the Bossier Max Correctional Center on a $350,000 bond.
The investigation is still open and may result in additional charges, police said.
via: https://ktla.com/2018/12/20/police-officer-allegedly-filmed-himself-having-sex-with-an-animal/
Chemistry major accused of poisoning roommate
Lehigh University student Juwal Royal thought he had a “cordial” relationship with Yukai Yang, his roommate of four years. But for months, prosecutors say, Yang was trying to kill him.
Yang, a chemistry major from China, faces charges including attempted murder and aggravated assault for allegedly putting the chemical thallium, which is used in rat poison, in his roommate’s food and drink, the Morning Call reports.
Yang, 22, was first arrested in April on charges including ethnic intimidation after allegedly scrawling racist graffiti, including “(N-word) GET OUT OF HERE” on his black roommate’s desk and trashing his TV and bed.
Royal, who graduated from the Pennsylvania university in the spring, became so ill on two occasions in March that police were called to the room twice. On one occasion, he was hospitalized after vomiting for 45 minutes.
Tests revealed dangerous amounts of thallium in his blood. Royal, who is still experiencing symptoms from the poisoning, “was as dumbfounded by this as anyone else,” says assistant DA Abraham Kassis.
Authorities say Yang admitted buying thallium and other chemicals online and putting them in food and drink in their shared fridge, but said he bought them to harm himself “if he did poorly on future exams.”
Yang has been kicked out of Lehigh and will also lose his student visa, WFMZreports. (This Hartford University student was arrested after a sickening campaign against her roommate.)
via: https://pix11.com/2018/12/22/chemistry-major-accused-of-poisoning-roommate/
Bank calls cops on black man for cashing his paycheck
A bank in Ohio called cops on a black man and had him arrested — because he was trying to cash his paycheck.
Paul McCowns stopped by the Huntington bank in Brooklyn on Dec. 1 to cash his very first paycheck for $1,082.24, Cleveland 19 reported.
He said he had just landed a job as at an electric company.
Because he didn’t have an account with Huntington, the bank teller asked McCowns for two forms of ID and his fingerprints.
But instead of finalizing the routine transaction, the teller tried calling McCowns’ new employer — to confirm he actually worked there, thinking the check was bogus.
“They tried to call my employer numerous times. He never picked up the phone,” McCowns recalled.
The tellers told him the check couldn’t be cashed — so he left. That’s when a squad car pulled up in front of him in the parking lot. Unbeknownst to McCowns, the bank had called 911 on him.
“I get in my truck and the squad car pull in front of me and he says get out the car,” he said. “It was highly embarrassing, highly embarrassing.”
The 911 call and police report obtained by the local TV network revealed that bank employees thought McCowns’ check was a fake.
“He’s trying to cash a check and the check is fraudulent. It does not match our records,” one of the tellers says on the call.
“Does he know you called 911?” the dispatcher asks.
“No,” the teller responds.
McCowns was handcuffed and placed in the back of the cop car before police confirmed the check was real and that he was, in fact, an employee at the electric company.
“My employer said, ‘Yes he works for me. He just started and yes, my payroll company does pay him that much,’” said McCowns, who wound up cashing his check the next day at another Huntington branch.
Now, he’s demanding an apology from the bank for racially profiling him.
A Huntington rep told Cleveland 19 that there had been nearly a dozen cases of fraud in the last few months and that tellers were just being vigilant.
“We sincerely apologize to Mr. McCowns for this extremely unfortunate event. We accept responsibility for contacting the police as well as our own interactions with Mr. McCowns,” a statement from the bank said.
“Anyone who walks into a Huntington branch should feel welcomed. Regrettably, that did not occur in this instance and we are very sorry. We hold ourselves accountable to the highest ethical standards in how we operate, hire and train colleagues, and interact with the communities we have the privilege of serving.”
The bank rep said they reached out to McCowns to apologize several times but he hasn’t returned their calls.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/12/19/bank-calls-cops-on-black-man-for-cashing-his-paycheck/
Florida deputy uses service revolver to kill family members, self
A Florida sheriff’s deputy murdered three of his family members — including his young granddaughter — and then radioed in their deaths before taking his own life Wednesday, according to officials.
“He [used] his service revolver to commit these acts of violence,” explained Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister during an afternoon press conference.
Deputy Terry Strawn fatally shot his 54-year-old wife Theresa, his 32-year-old daughter Courtney and 6-year-old granddaughter Londyn sometime before 6:42 a.m. and then turned the gun on himself.
Before committing suicide, he went over the main channel of the sheriff’s office radio and told his co-workers about what he did — saying he “caused harm” to his family and had to go be with them, Chronister said.
Strawn had just returned to the sheriff’s department after retiring in 2017, and was excited to get started back as a school security officer.
“The deputy had no indicators or behavioral issues,” Chronister said, calling him an “exemplary employee.”
“He had just learned that we were gonna keep him,” the sheriff added. “He was extremely grateful. Indicated that ‘Christmas came early.’”
But something apparently changed in the 58-year-old and caused him to snap Wednesday.
“During his radio transmission, [Strawn] wanted to make sure that we all took care of each other, that we knew that depression was real, alluded to the fact that he was struggling with some health and financial issues…indicated that he was losing everything…and at one point said that he had to go,” recalled Chronister. “He appreciated all the help, but he had to go…He had to go be with his family.”
Hired in 1991, Strawn only had two minor infractions throughout his entire career.
“That’s it,” Chronister said. “Again, no indications. No behavior issues. Nothing that would lead any of us to believe that this employee was struggling.”
Strawn murdered his wife and granddaughter at the home that they shared, and his daughter at her residence, according to Chronister.
He then went to a nearby high school and shot himself in front of deputies after informing them of his whereabouts.
“Same thing with a lot of murder-suicides, there [were] no indicators,” Chronister said. “None at all.”
Strawn is the second Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office employee to take his own life in recent months after killing a member of their family. Deputy Kirk Keithley fatally shot his 33-year-old wife Samantha inside their home while their four children were inside.
“I hate that the fact that society believes that only violence or suicide is an option to whatever they’re struggling with,” Chronister said. “It’s incumbent upon all of us to change the culture of society — that it’s OK to ask for help. You don’t have to resort to violence or suicide.”
via: https://nypost.com/2018/12/19/florida-deputy-uses-service-revolver-kill-family-members-self/
Compton Man Charged After Allegedly Slitting Wife’s Throat With Granddaughter in the Room
Officials charged a Compton man with murder on Wednesday, two days after he allegedly killed his wife of more than 30 years while her granddaughter was in the same room.
Henry Cunningham, 66, faces one felony count of murder and one misdemeanor count of cruelty to a child by inflicting injury, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Prosecutors said the victim, 58-year-old Melanie Cunningham, was asleep inside her bedroom along with her 1-year-old granddaughter on Dec. 17 when her husband allegedly slit her throat with a kitchen knife.
Details about the couple’s living arrangement and the child’s relation to the defendant were unclear.
Deputies responded to the home, located in the 15600 block of South Frailey Avenue, around 10 a.m. on Monday and found the victim with apparent trauma to her torso, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. She was declared dead at the scene.
Officers reported recovering the knife at the home. They said they had received information that the husband might have been involved in the stabbing, and that Henry Cunningham turned himself at an LAPD station the same day.
The suspect remained in jail on $2 million bail, county records indicate.
He could face 25 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged.
The case remained under investigation.
Authorities provided no further details.
O.C. Woman Arrested, Accused of Pretending Her Husband Was Fighting Holy Fire to Collect Donations
A San Juan Capistrano woman was arrested following a three-month investigation into allegations she had posed as the wife of a firefighter on the front lines of the Holy Fire to defraud people who were donating money to recovery efforts, officials said Tuesday.
Ashley Bemis, 28, allegedly posted pictures of herself alongside her fictitious firefighter husband to various social media accounts, with captions soliciting donations, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
Bemis collected more than $2,000, officials said. Though she claimed the funds would benefit firefighters, she allegedly kept the money for herself.
The Holy Fire broke out Aug. 6. The suspected arson blaze destroyed more than a dozen buildings and consumed over 23,000 acres across Orange and Riverside counties before it was fully contained in mid-September.
In addition to cash, Bemis collected relief items including sports drinks, water and camping equipment from individual donors as well as stores and companies, authorities said.
A local fire captain grew suspicious of Bemis’ requests and asked the Sheriff’s Department to investigate.
Detectives said they were able to uncover items intended as donations after obtaining search warrants for her home, vehicle and garages.
San Clemente police investigators believe Bemis invented a fake husband with the intention of defrauding people hoping to donate to wildfire relief. They also uncovered previous social media posts showing she had faked pregnancies in an effort to solicit donations, sheriff’s officials said.
Bemis was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of felony grand theft, second-degree burglary, witness intimidation and making false financial statements.
She was being held at the O.C. Jail on $50,000 bail.
Fresno Woman Arrested After Her 8-Year-Old Daughter Is Killed by Train Had Allegedly Urged Child to Cross Tracks
A Central Valley women whose young daughter was killed by a train had urged the child to cross under a temporarily stopped train car, police said in announcing the mother’s arrest Tuesday.
Joy Frances Collins, 44, was arrested on suspicion of child neglect likely to cause great bodily injury or death, as well as trespassing, Fresno Police Department Chief Jerry Dyer said at a press conference.
Collins was with her 9-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter when they were trying to get to a bus stop about 6 p.m. Monday. A mile-long train that blocked their route slowed and eventually stopped, according to Fresno television stations KSEE and KGPE.
Just after the train came to a halt, Collins told her children that they had to “hurry … or they would miss the bus,” Dyer said, citing a witness.
“The mother then told the 9-year-old son to cross the railroad track,” Dyer said. “The son then crawled underneath one of the rail cars to get over to the west side.”
Dyer said Collins then told her daughter, identified by the chief as Joyanna Harris, to follow, but the girl was reluctant at first.
“Upon being encouraged by the mother to cross the track, she too made her way underneath the rail car and attempted to get to the other side,” Dyer said.
It was then that the train lurched forward, Dyer said, leaving the girl “lodged” under the car.
“That child was pulled or dragged on the railroad for approximately 500 feet,” Dyer said.
Collins ran alongside the train and finally pulled her daughter’s severely injured body from underneath the train when it stopped again.
Dyer said the girl was critically injured and partially dismembered. Joyanna Harris was pronounced dead at the scene, according to The Fresno Bee.
“A mother placed her daughter in a position where she could be seriously injured or killed, and that’s what we have to look at,” Dyer said. “We have a responsibility to hold that person accountable.”
“No one last night wanted to arrest the mother for this crime, but the law is the law,” he added. “She placed … her child in grave danger.”
The mother said the family had gone under the train at least seven other times in past, the chief said. The also had past contacts with Child Protective Services, and Collins has a criminal history related to check fraud in the Bay Area, Dyer said.
Collins was booked into the Fresno County Jail Monday night.
via: https://ktla.com/2018/12/18/mother-charged-after-8-year-old-girl-killed-by-train/
Boy, 12, allegedly stabs sister to death and wounds mother
Hartford, Conn. (WTIC/WCCT) — A 12 year old boy was arraigned at CCMC this afternoon and charged with murder and first-degree assault in connection with the death of his sister and wounding of his mother.
He was charged with one count of Murder with Special Circumstances and one count of Assault in the First Degree. The juvenile was turned over to the custody of the Connecticut Judicial Marshals. The case remains under active investigation by the West Hartford Police Department.
Police said a young girl has died after being stabbed during a domestic situation on Stoner Drive Monday afternoon.
West Hartford police say they received a 911 call from 187 Stoner Drive from a woman saying she and her daughter had been stabbed by her son.
Police say when they arrived, they found the two victims and the suspect.
Police said the mother and daughter were rushed to St. Francis Hospital where the daughter was pronounced dead.
The Hartford Courant reports the suspect is 12 years old, and identifies the victim as his 12-year-old sister, Brigid Curtin. Their mother, who was injured, was identified by her employer to the Courant as Janemarie Murphy, a well-known lobbyist.
The juvenile son was taken into custody and brought to CCMC for minor injuries. The mother is currently in stable condition.
West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor released the following statement on behalf of the Murphy-Curtin family:
Our family, friends, and community are all suffering tonight. We are all enduring a very painful and unimaginable loss. Our family will never be the same. Our daughter was a beautiful child and we will remember forever her smile…laughter…and remember her for the way she loved and lived. We thank you all for your condolences and prayers.
Please understand that this loss is not contained to our family. Our children attended West Hartford schools and have so many friends that are hurting tonight as well. West Hartford is a strong community.
We are comforted to know that we aren’t alone in our grief.
We ask that as we are suffering, please respect our privacy as well as that of our neighbors. Again, we collectively are issuing this statement tonight in the hopes that the media will respect our privacy in grieving and that you continue to pray for our family.
“This was all localized just to this house,” Capt. Michael Perruccio said, “there is no danger to the town there is no danger to the neighborhood.”
“We are broken-hearted to hear this tragic news,” West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said, “I have been constant communication with the town manager, Police chief and superintendent of schools.”
“We are very grateful to our first responders for their professional and caring response,” Cantor said, “We will do everything we can to support the family, students, staff and the community through this extremely difficult time.”
West Hartford Public Schools sent out the following message:
“Earlier today we were informed by police of a tragic event occurring in the home of one of our families. In difficult times, we do all that we can to support our families, students and staff in dealing with crises. We will have mental health professionals available for students and staff at our schools both tomorrow and in the coming days. Please keep this family and their friends, and all of our children, in your thoughts and prayers.”
— Tom Moore, Superintendent of West Hartford Public Schools
State Representative Derek Slap, who represents West Hartford, told FOX 61 he’s grateful the school will have counselors. “Our heart goes out to the family and thinking of the entire community and the schoolchildren.”
West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor released the following statement Tuesday morning:
“Today we are mourning the loss of a beautiful young lady and praying for the recovery of her mother. Our special community of West Hartford is in pain. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers. Let us give them the space, privacy, and time to grieve and heal. We will do all we can to provide support and help for the family, our students, teachers, neighbors, friends and the entire community. I have received many calls and texts asking how people can help. Thank you. Hug your loved ones and friends a little tighter. Be generous with your time and your heart. If you are moved to make a donation, please consider giving to organizations that have as their mission to help families in crisis including the Bridge Family Center, Town That Cares, as well as faith and community organizations. With a heavy heart, I wish our whole community peace and love.”
via: https://pix11.com/2018/12/19/boy-12-allegedly-stabs-sister-to-death-and-wounds-mother/